Factual class / kit major strengths and weaknesses?
CarefulCode
Member Posts: 4
I've been looking through threads here and there, but can't find a comprehensive overview of all the classes and kits for comparison. "Best X" discussions don't seem to help me much, as a new player I can't distinguish between opinion and fact.
Is there a purely factual based summary of the strengths and weaknesses of all the classes and kits, or can anyone break it down for me without injecting opinions?
Thank you!
Is there a purely factual based summary of the strengths and weaknesses of all the classes and kits, or can anyone break it down for me without injecting opinions?
Thank you!
2
Comments
( unless otherwise noted all class kits gain the same strengths/weakness as the base class )
( also i didn't delve to deeply in what the class abilities actually do because those can just be checked upon character creation )
FIGHTERS:
Strengths: can use any armor or weapon, can gain grand mastery in weapons, great for combat melee or ranged, nice HP, decent level up speed
Weakness: has absolutely no spell casting ability what so ever ( not including bhaal powers ) gains no special abilities ( trap detection, stealth, charm animal ect... ) cannot use arcane or divine type items ( some wands, or robes or the like )
- Berserker
Strengths: gains a rage ability that lasts for 10 rounds ( which gives combat bonuses and a whole bunch of AMAZING immunities )
Weakness: after rage is over, you become winded for 10 rounds or so ( while winded cannot use rage ) this winded gives some combat penalties during the "winded" state, also you can only specialize ( 2 points ) in ranged weapons instead of 5 proficiency points
- Wizard Slayer
Strengths: each time they hit an enemy mage they are given a cumulative spell casting penalty ( at 25% per hit, wowzers ) this has a duration, but it almost doesnt matter because a spell caster with a casting penalty is basically a dead caster, also the wizard slayer gains 1% magic resistance per level until level 20 then they get 5% for every even level after wards
Weakness: the only magical items they can use are weapons armor shields and possibly helmets, nothing else, no charge items, no accessories, notta
- Kensai:
Strengths: insane to hit/to damage in melee combat, gains an ability that allows you to deal maximum damage for 10 seconds, the ultimate warrior for melee DPS
Weakness: cannot wear ANY armor ( yikes ) or bracers or helmets and cannot use missile weapons
- Barbarian:
Strengths: lots of HP, a little bit faster than a normal character, gets a rage ability that increases STR/CON for 5 rounds by 4 and gives a whole bunch of immunities, also gains damage resistance at level 11,15, and 19 for a max of 20% against all physical damage, plus immune to backstab
Weakness: cannot wear armor heavier than splint mail, can only specialize in weapons as apposed to grand mastery
- Dwarven Defender
Strengths: gains defensive stance ( which greatly slows you but gives you huge defensive abilities ) gains damage resistance much like the barbarian ( although at different levels ) lots of HP
Weakness: must be a dwarf, can only special in melee weapons except for axes and hammers in which they can place 4 points in them instead of 2
RANGERS:
Strengths: they can use any armor or weapon, the come with an automatic 2 proficiency points in two weapon fighting style, they gain a racial enemy which gives them a +4 to hit/to damage bonus against a certain class of enemies, they get a charm animal ability that makes it so they can charm animals, they get a stealth ability that becomes stronger upon level ups and can be used if you are wearing armor that is no heavier than studded leather, they eventually get spell casting; being able to cast druid spells up to 3rd level
Weakness: they can only specialize in weapons ( 2 slots, except for two weapon fighting they can put 3 slots into it ) they grow up levels slower than a fighter ( which is noticeable a little bit in BG1/SoA but much more noticeable in ToB ) charm animal is virtually useless in SoA/ToB ( although great in BG1 ) if reputation gets to low they will become fallen and lose all of their abilities
- Archer
Strengths: insane to hit/to damage in ranged combat, gain an ability called "called shot" which becomes more powerful as you level up ( this ability giving penalties to enemies in certain ways ) can achieve grand mastery in ranged weapons except for slings and thrown weapons ( so bows and crossbows )
Weakness: studded leather is the heaviest leather they can wear, can only become proficient in melee weapons ( 1 slot ) does not get charm animal ability ( lol )
- Stalker
Strengths: they get a bonus to their stealth ability, they can backstab at a lower value than a thief, they get 3 extra spells added to their spell book at level 12 ( haste, protection from missiles, minor spell turning )
Weakness: cannot wear armor heavier than studded leather
- Beast Master
Strengths: they get a bonus to their stealth ability, they can use the spell "find familiar" ( which is pretty neat ) they get access to animal summoning 1,2 and 3 eventually
Weakness: cannot use weapons that are mainly made of metal ( swords, halberds ect ), cannot use armor heavier than studded leather
PALADINS:
Strengths: get a whole bunch of special abilities ( protection from evil, detect evil, lay on hands ) eventually gets turn undead at a slightly lower level than they actually are, eventually gets to cast cleric spells up to 4th level, gets +2 to all saving throws, can use any armor or weapons
Weakness: can only be human and good alignment, can only specialize in weapons ( although can put 3 points into 2 weapon style ) grows up levels slower than a fighter, if reputation gets to low they will become fallen and lose all of their abilities
- Cavalier
Strengths: they get a +3 to hit/to damage bonus against all fiendish and draconic creatures, they can remove fear as an ability, immune to charm, fear, poison, gain a resistance bonus to fire and acid
Weakness: cannot use missile weapons ( lol? )
- Inquisitor
Strengths: immune to hold/charm spells/effects, get dispel magic ability that works at double their level with an instant casting time ( absolutely rock solid ability ) also get a true seeing ability that also has an instant cast time ( very VERY nice )
Weakness: cannot turn undead, use lay on hands or cast priest spells
- Undead Hunter
Strengths: immune to hold spell/effects and level drain ( very nice ) gets +3 to hit/ to damage against all undead ( not too shabby )
Weakness: cannot use lay on hands ability
- Black Guard
Strengths: immune to level drain and fear, gets absorb health, poison weapon and aura of despair as abilities ( with aura of despair being insanely powerful )
Weakness: must be evil, do not get detect evil, protection from evil, or lay on hands
CLERICS:
Strengths: can wear any armor, has a huge arsenal of divine spells to cast, can turn undead, gets bonus spells for having higher wisdom, have lots of great buffing type spells for caster and party alike, they level up relatively quick
Weakness: can only use crushing weapons ( even with dual/multi class combinations ), can only become proficient with weapons ( 1 slot ) have mediocre HP, their to hit and attacks per round aren't that great without buffs
- Priest of Talos
Strengths: can use lightning bolt and storm shield as abilities ( storm shield makes you immune to lightning, fire, cold and normal missiles )
Weakness: can only be neutral evil, chaotic evil/neutral
- Priest of Helm
Strengths: can use true sight and seeking sword as abilities ( seeking sword is a +4 sword that gives you 3 attacks per round that makes it so you cant cast further spells until the duration runs out, it provides a +4 to hit bonus, but no damage bonus, deals 2d4 damage
Weakness: can only be lawful good/neutral/evil or true neutral
- Priest of Lathander
Strengths: cause use hold undead and boon of lathander as abilities ( boon of lathander gives a +1 to hit/ to damage/ saving throw/ attacks per round bonus and gives immunity to level drain )
Weakness: can only be any good alignment or true neutral
- Priest of Tyr
Strengths: cause use exaltation and divine favor as abilities ( exaltation gives immunity/heals status ailments, divine favor gives combat bonuses )
Weakness: can only be lawful good, neutral good or lawful neutral
- Priest of Tempus
Strengths: cause use holy power and chaos of battle as abilities ( chaos of battle gives bonus to allies and penalties to enemies upon use )
Weakness: must be chaotic alignment or true neutral
DRUIDS:
Strengths: have a huge arsenal of divine spells ( with more nature type spells ) at 7th level they gain shapeshift abilities, at 15th level they become immune to poison, and at later levels they start gaining resistances to cold,fire,electricity and acid, high wisdom scores provide more spells per day, they grow up levels very quickly in BG1 and ToB
Weakness: they cannot use any metal armors, they can only use helmets and bucklers ( no shields) their HP are mediocre, they grow up levels incredibly slowly in SoA, default shapeshifts for druid arent all that great, they can only be true neutral alignment, they can only become proficient in weapons and have a very limited weapon list, their to hit in combat is not all that great
- Totemic Druid
Strengths: can summon spirit animals that progressively become more powerful upon level ups
Weakness: cannot shapeshift
- Shape Shifter
Strengths: can shapeshift into a werewolf or greater werewolf at level 13, both forms giving the user a nice AC boost and some stat boosts and some resistances while shapeshifted
Weakness: cannot wear any armor, cannot shapeshift into anything else, the wolf forms never increase in power
- Avenger
Strengths: gains extra spells at certain levels, gains additional forms to shapeshift into upon reaching level 7, gains an additional use of shapeshift at level 19
Weakness: cannot wear heavier than leather armor, gets a -2 STR/CON penalty at character creation ( so a human avenger can never start the game with STR or CON higher than 16 )
MAGES:
Strengths: incredibly power magic, whether it be buffing/disabling/destroying, can use mage items; robes, wands ect, gains XP for party for learning spells ( a very decent value in SoA/ToB )
Weakness: garbage HP, garbage to hit, can only become proficient in the 4 weapons that they can use, have to scribe scrolls to increase spell book which has a chance to fail destroying the scroll forever, requires a high INT to be able to cast high level spells/ have more spells in spell book per level/being successful at learning spells, grows up levels incredibly slow ( and super slow in SoA mid game, and ToB through out )
- Specialist Mage
Strengths: gains one extra spell slot per day, gains a 15% chance bonus to learn spells of specialized school, enemies suffer an additional -2 penalty to their saves from specialized school ( if a save is applicable ) mage gains a +2 bonus to saves from specialized school
Weakness: all specialist mages have an opposed school in which they cannot cast spells from ( even from scrolls themselves ) they get a -15% penalty to scribe scrolls of any school that isn't their specialized school
- Wild Mage
Strengths: gains one extra spell per level,all spells cast have a 50% chance of casting at a higher caster level than mage's true level, there is a 5% chance that any spell cast will cast a wild surge which has a chance of doing something great, gains 3 additional spells automatically: nahal's reckless dweomer, choas shield, improved chaos shield, upon reaching higher levels wild surges tend to get better
Weakness: there is a 5% chance that any spell cast will cast a wild surge which has a chance of being completely disasterous ( especially for low level mages ) all spells cast have a 50% chance of casting at a lower level than the mage's true level
THIEVES:
Strengths: they get plently abilities ( lock picking, trap disarming, stealth, trap setting ect ) they automatically get snares upon certain level ups which become stronger the higher level you are, they get back stab damage which also increases upon certain level ups, they grow up levels incredibly quickly
Weakness: they cannot use any armor heavier than studded leather, no helmets, they can only use bucklers ( no shields ) can only become proficient in the limited weapons they can use, their HP aren't all that great, their to hit, isn't to hot, they only get 1 attack per round at default
- Assassin
Strengths: +1 to hit/ to damage, their backstab can reach x7 as apposed to x5, they get a poison weapon ability which gets stronger the higher level you are
Weakness: they only can distribute 15 skill points per level ( as apposed to 25 )
- Bounty Hunter
Strengths: they get a bonus to their trap setting skill, they get bonus snares upon level ups ( as well as the normal snares ) which become more powerful on certain level ups
Weakness: they only can distribute 20 skill points per level ( as apposed to 25 )
- Swashbuckler
Strenghts: they get to hit/ to damage/ AC bonuses upon certain level ups ( very strong indeed), can specialize in any thief weapon ( although it doesnt give the extra 1/2 attack per round ) can put 3 points into 2 weapon style
Weakness: cannot backstab
- Shadow Dancer
Strengths: gets a bonus to stealth abilities, can hide in plain sight ( while being observed by an enemy ) can use shadow step ability ( cast a timestop spell for 7 seconds ), +1 bonus to all saves
Weakness: cannot be lawful alignment, they get a lower backstab multiplier compared to a regular thief, they cannot set snares, they only can distribute 20 skill points per level ( as apposed to 25 )
BARDS:
Strengths: have a huge lore value, they have the pick pockets ability, they can cast mage spells, can use bard song which grows in power upon certain level ups, can wear up to chain mail armor, can use wands, can use any weapon except for composite long bow, grows up levels incredibly quickly, party gains XP for learning mage spells
Weakness: cannot cast spells while wearing armor, cannot use mage robes, can only become proficient in weapons or weapon styles, HP arent to great, their to hit isn't all that great, can only be neutral alignment, requires a high INT score for scribing spells and for the amounts of spells they can have per level, to use bard song the bard cannot be doing any other activity, can only use bucklers no shield or helmets
- Blade
Strengths: can place 3 points into 2 weapon fighting, gains offensive/defensive spin abilities ( offensive spell giving combat bonuses, defensive spin giving an AC bonus but cannot move )
Weakness: has half lore value on level ups, has half pick pocket skill on level ups
- Jester
Strengths: instead of the bard song helping allies, it instead gives ailments to enemies, growing stronger at certain levels
Weakness: same as default bard
- Skald
Strengths: + 1 to hit/ to damage, the skald's bard song gives different bonus to allies as apposed to the default bard song ( giving allies combat bonuses and immunities instead ) with the bard song becoming more powerful on certain level ups
Weakness: absolute garbage pick pocket score
SORCERERS:
Strengths: can use the same spells as mages, start of with more castings per day than mages, don't have to scribe scrolls to learn spells, no ability score is important to a sorcerer, doesnt have to prepare spells ahead of time like a mage does
Weakness: garbage HP, garbage to hit, doesnt learn spells from scrolls ( so no XP bonuses for that ) weapon proficiency/choice is that of the mage, incredibly slow level progression just like mage
- Dragon Disciple
Strengths: gains a whole bunch of bonuses ( AC, CON, fire resistance ) can use a breath weapon that gets stronger upon certain levels, has a little bit better HP than a sorcerer/mage
Weakness: casts one fewer spell per level per day
MONKS:
Strengths: they get a crap ton of abilities/immunites and grow progressively more powerful as they gain levels, their attacks become better and stronger the higher level they become, they grow up levels quicker than a fighter
Weakness: their HP isn't that bad, but not that great for a melee warrior, they aren't that great at range combat, at earlier levels they aren't that great at melee combat, and realistically don't become "amazing" until level 18 ( but once they do, they really start to shine ), cannot wear any armor or helmets, have a limited weapon selection and can only be proficient in that selection, can only be lawful alignment
- Dark Moon Monk
Strengths: they get the detect illusion skill and a bonus to it, gains frozen fist ability and some other mage spells as abilities at certain levels ( blindness, blur, vampiric touch, mirror image )
Weakness: can only be lawful evil, cannot use lay on hands or stunning blow ability
- Sun Soul Monk
Strengths: gain a whole bunch of fire type abilities ( some that make you do fire damage, another that gives you a fire shield red, ect )
Weakness: can only be lawful good, cannot use stunning fist or quivering palm abilities
SHAMAN:
Strengths: cast spells like a sorcerer except its for druid spells instead of arcane, get a bonus selection of shaman type spells immediately, gets the detect illusion skill and becomes stronger at higher levels, can use shaman dance at will ( allows creatures to be summoned if shaman continues to dance uninterrupted, creatures grow stronger at higher levels ), has fast level progession in BG1 and ToB, doesn't need to worry about ability scores
Weakness: can only become proficient with a limited weapon repertoire, to hit wont be that great, does not gain bonus spells from a high wisdom, can only be of neutral alignment, has mediocre HP, has very slow level progression in SoA, can only wear lighter/ hide armors and only use bucklers ( no shields ), if shaman dance is interrupted the creatures summoned will disappear instantly, gain a -4 penalty to AC while in shaman dance plus might not summon creatures each round while dancing
Thanks for the detailed overview, I'm trying to pick something mostly balanced without very extreme bonuses / penalties so this overview helped immensely.
Paladins are holy warriors. They lack the damage output of fighters, but they have some defensive bonuses and special abilities that make them sturdier and more resistant to magic than a standard fighter. Inquisitors are very good against enemy magic-users and have a very powerful dispel magic ability. Cavaliers have bonuses against the powerful Demonic creatures that you will encounter frequently in the later parts of the game, but cannot use missile weapons. Undead Hunters have bonuses against undead that you will encounter throughout the series. All Paladins, except the Inquisitor, gain some lower level Cleric spells later in the game.
Rangers are scouts who tend to focus on two-weapon fighting. Like Paladins, they lack the raw damage output of fighters, but have stealth abilities and some minor Druid spell abilities. The Stalker class can make stealth attacks like thieves, but are limited in their choice of armor to only light armors. The Archer class is a very powerful ranged damage dealing class, but is very limited in their ability in melee combat. The Beast Master adds some summoning ability to the fighter/scout Ranger model at the cost of severe weapon restrictions. All Ranger classes will acquire some lower level Druid spells as the game progresses.
Thieves are generally scouts and are important for picking locks and disarming traps, and there are many traps in this game. Experienced players know every trap, and its type, so they often do not need to disarm them, but as a new player, you will want someone to handle traps. NPC thieves are available, but there are few NPCs thieves that will continue with you to progress to the highest levels. Thieves rely on traps and attacking from stealth to deal much of their damage. They come to rely on single attacks and then fading away and are less straight-forward than fighters. All thieves can develop the ability to "detect illusions" which is a powerful debuff against enemy mage defenses. The Bounty Hunter develops a nice set of special traps that grow more powerful as the game progresses. The Assassin has a stealth attack (backstab) that grows very powerful and also a poison weapon ability that is helpful. However, they are very limited (15 points vs. 25 for the generic thief) in how many thief skills they can develop. The Swashbuckler does not have a stealth attack, but has some fighter-like abilities that grow progressively stronger as the game progresses.
Clerics are generally a support class that do provide some light, though helpful, offensive capabilities. They are mostly a defensive class that use their spells to protect your other characters from damage and the worst enemy magic. They also have the ability to turn or destroy undead and are very powerful against undead enemies. They also have the ability to summon some powerful minions including undead warriors (which I would only do if playing evil, though that is your decision to make). The various cleric kits add a few abilities to the base cleric model, but all clerics play in a very similar style. Druids are similar to Clerics though lack some of their protective and buff spells and have no power over undead. Druids are excellent summoners, however. The Totemic Druid in particular has the ability to summon spirit animals that remain excellent combatants until much later in the game. The Avenger Druid adds some damage-dealing and defensive mage spells to the Druid list at the cost of more limited armor and ability-score penalties. The Shapeshifter allows the Druid to assume a Werewolf form which is very good through the first half of the game but lacks the ability to damage many later game opponents.
Mages and Sorcerers begin rather weak but become progressively more powerful. They have a wider range of damage-dealing spells than clerics and some very powerful buff spells as well as powerful defensive spells and the ability to disable multiple opponents. They are not as adept as clerics, however, at protecting their fellows. Their protection spells are mostly centered on themselves. Mages choose their spells each time that you rest, and specialist mages receive bonus spells, however they are more restricted in their choose of spells. Each specialty school has an "opposition" school, and they may not select spells from this school. Almost everyone who plays a mage, specializes, however. Sorcerers do not choose their spells each day. Instead they choose their spells once. They can cast more spells than Mages, but have a much more limited range of options. They can be very powerful, however, they are difficult to play for a new player, because often you will not know what spells will be the most helpful to you in the future when making your selections. Often, it is best to play through the game one time and learn the magic system before trying to play a Sorcerer.
Bards are a utility class. They can pick pockets like a thief, cast some mage spells, and have a bard-song buff that provides immunity to fear and minor combat bonuses to your group. The Skald focuses on buffs, and his song provides signficant attack and damage bonuses to the entire group. The Blade Bard combines some elements of fighter and has 2 special abilities: one that provides a substantial defensive buff to himself and another that improves his attacks. The Jester does not buff your party. Rather his bard-song is has a debilitating effect on enemies that can cause them to lose their actions.
Every class except the bard and Paladin can be combined with one or more other classes, and each of these dual or multi-class combinations have their own strengths and weaknesses. The multi-class paths available to non-human races gain new abilities in their classes more slowly than a single-class character, but the combination of lower-level powers of 2 classes can often more than make up for this. A human character can dual class. He begins as one class and then becomes another. Eventually, he will gain the abilities of both of his classes, but continue to gain levels only as the second class. So he can have some minor abilities from 1 class, but have the fast level progression of a second class.
almost every class is good, strong and players have soloed the whole game, even modded to be more difficult, with almost any class. some are easier to play, fighters, rangers and paladins. when the spell casting becomes the most important thing, mage, sorcerer, cleric and druid, you need a deep knowledge of the magic system to be really effective. rogues, bards and thieves, have their strengths if you learn to use them.
each class is strong only as much as you are able to play it correctly, this is a fact, not an opinion. every advanced player has his style and tactics, this is why you are not able to discriminate between facts and opinions. you have to play yourself and begin to find your own style, then you will understand why some advanced players can discuss pages and pages on "best x" threads.
then in the game a character can have more than 1 class, as dual that stops all the progress in the 1rst one and focuses only on the second or as a multi that continues to progress each class but split the XP between them. you will find NPCs (not playable characters, your companions in the game) of both types.
usually in this game 1+1 is not 2 but 3 or more. some examples: a multi cleric/mage can use the buffs of both classes to be a awesome mlee fighter while his mage spells protect him completely from enemy damage, so in the hardest battles he can be the most useful frontliner as your fighters "hide" themselves behind him using long reach weapons. a dual (usually at 7, 9 or 13) from fighter to a caster or thief has much more hp (hit points) then the single class thief or caster, but will reach high levels in the second class, retaining some fighting capabilities that are useful till the end of the game.
1 fact that is really important is apr (attacks per round) the number of times a character can hit the enemy in each 6 seconds round. only fighters, rangers and paladins can have more than 1 natural apr, they gain +0.5 at lev 7, +0.5 at lev 13, +0.5 with a weapon in which are specialized and an other 0.5 with a weapon they have mastered ( 5 points in that weapon, only pure fighters and dual classes ones, multi can not go beyond specialization). those classes can reach a high number of attacks as they can also put points in dual welding (DW), and with the help of some items you find in the game can reach the maximum number of attacks allowed by the game, 5 that can be doubled by the mage spell improved haste. is easy to understand how a toon hitting 10 times every 6 seconds in more effective in mlee than someone hitting only a couple of times when hasted. you can have the bard kit blade and a buffed cleric/mage DW effectively, the others loose too much thac0 so to do it not beneficial, but a C/M will never go beyond 4 apr improved hasted, even if them will be 4 high damaging attacks, the blade can reach higher apr as he can stack some of the few +1 apr weapons in the game, but he can not benefit of the offensive spin (+1apr and other bonuses) while improved hasted. they both can tank much better than a fighter but can not do the same damage as they have less apr.
about the magic system is really complex and to master it needs study and experience, the right spells in the right moment can make an impossible battle really easy.
mi suggestion is to not care much about which class is "the best" one, pick what you feel to play, possibly avoiding classes that need more knowledge to be effective, like sorcerer and bard.
pick it according to the role you want for charname, fighter, paladin or ranger if you want him leading the charge in the front line, mage if you feel to be so, and in end game your power will be really high, or druid or cleric if you want to be a caster that is more oriented toward buffing the party, healing it and summoning helpers.
pick your class, play it and have fun. and try to have in that initial run NPCs that cover all the classes, at least a mage, a druid and a cleric, as well as some fighter/pally/ranger.
so, as you play the NPCs the very same way you play your character, you will gain experience in how all the classes feel and then you will begin to look at the "best x" threads with a different eye.
my suggestions, and are opinions based on what i like, is to start with a multi F/M, you don't have npcs like that, a pure class thief or F/T , to scout the areas, master the backstab and setting traps, or a plain fighter, maybe with the berseker kit. are all relatively novice friendly combos and is easy to have charname shine in the party with them.
pick your class, have fun and gain experience, the next run you will know much better what you like and what is not good for your own play style, that you will have begun to shape.
hope it helps.
I do enjoy playing a "tactical strategist" role in other games. This kind of character is one who gathers intelligence before the conflict, and uses uncommon or indirect methods of out-thinking the enemy. In some cases he would destroy the enemy without any physical confrontation, or otherwise neutralize the threat so that it can be managed with a minimum of risk to his team.
Classes:
@gorgonzola
Your suggestion of Fighter Thief seems to be a strong one for my idea. The Thief ability to set Traps, and to strike from the shadows, seems excellent to me.
However, you also suggest Fighter Mage if I read you correctly. The spells and their uses are of course beyond my knowledge, but I could learn as I progress.
After considering them, I wonder if Thief/Mage would be the best choice? I would have a large amount of strategic options available, and multiple ways of scouting the enemy and forming a good plan.
Berserker - Weakness: Berserk state adds bonus hit points, and if the berserker has been wounded down to those bonus hit points during combat, he dies when the berserk state wears off if he has not been healed.
Cavalier - Weakness: Loophole - While prohibited from using missile weapons, the cavalier can still use throwing axes and daggers.
Druid - Weakness: Loophole - A multi-classed fighter-druid can wear heavy armor.
Sorcerer - Weakness: (This one is seriously important to be left out.) The sorcerer can only learn a limited number of spells per level, starting with only one spell known. He will only ever know five spells from any spell level over his entire career. Knowledgeable spell selection is critical, because if you choose a bad or useless spell, you're stuck with it forever.
but i agree, to chose a charname that is mainly a caster for the first run is not the best idea in most of the situations, unless someone really WANTS to be a powerful mage...
really good suggestion. i want only to add that even if is one of the most powerful, versatile and fun to play combo FMT split the xp in 3 classes. this mean that is leveling slower, as thief will gain slower skill points so will be able later to hide in shadows with a good success chance if he wants also to focus on setting traps and to deal with the traps and locks the party find in the game. not a problem if an other thief is in the party, like joshimo, jan jansen or hexxat. even imoen and nalia, that are basically pure mages with few thief levels, can deal with traps disabling and locks opening, leaving the FMT free to initially focus on hiding for exploration and back stabs, and setting traps.
the other consequence of leveling slower is that the FMT never gets the super powerful lev9 spells, not a problem if an other mage is in the party as he can be a fantastic support mage while he also uses his spells to self buff. F/T: good fighter and good thief. his fighter part gives him the thac0 to actually hit often when he backstabs, when backstabbing is not an option he can wear a full plate armor and fight almost as well as a pure fighter.
F/M: a mage has some spells that can use only on self that make him really resilient. blur and improved invisibility lower his AC (armor class, the lower the better, just like thac0), mirror images protect against some spells and physical attacks, an image is consumed each time, stoneskin absorb physical attacks, one skin is consimed each time, and is long lasting, you can even cast it, sleep and have it active when you wake up. then spells like protection from magical weapons (PFMW), and the mantle line make him completely immune to the weapons for a short time, 4 rounds. spell immunity makes him immune to a magic school, so SI abjuration makes him sure that hes protections can not be dispelled by mages and protect him also against the nasty imprisonment demi liches cast (imprisoned charname is game over).
so F/M is a fighter that excels on defense while being a good damage dealer, and a good support mage, that actually in the late game can cast lev 9 spells.
M/T: he lacks of apr and thac0 cause he don't have fighter levels. so is tricky to use for a new player. back stab worst than a pure thief cause he has only half of the XP in that class. there is one M/T npc in the game, that has some special equipment that only he can use. also as a gnome he is an illusionist, not a plain mage, so has 1 more spell/level, even if he can not cast the spells of the opposite school. i suggest you to try him, to have him in the party, so you can have an idea of what a M/T can do. but don't use the combo for charname the first run.
a really good choice is going FMT and having the M/T gnome in the party, so your charname can focus on hiding and setting traps while the gnome deals with finding and disabling traps and opening locks.
an other really useful thief skill is detect illusions, it reveals invisible enemies without wasting your mages spells. or go FMT and have imoen or nalia in the party so they can deal with traps and locks and will also be as powerful as pure class mages. your charname will be the king of bock stabs, and also the best tank and a good damage dealer. (there are some exploits that can make him incredibly OP as damage dealer, but is not the right way to start, let them to the advanced players that play on really hard settings of modded games...).
or go F/T or F/M for faster leveling but less versatility.
i suggest you to run a party of 5 so you have a place for the NPCs you find that are involved in some quest (that you can usually do also without them, but as first run it break the flavor). and the 6th free place will come useful later, i don't want to spoil no more about it.
a good balanced party has a druid, a cleric, a mage that can reach high levels (so no triple class), a support mage and some fighters. so you can deal with any situation and try all the 3 magic classes.
for druid and cleric you find both pure class npcs and multi ones. the druid is also fighter and the cleric is also mage. there is also a dual class fighter into cleric.
try to have at least 3 toons with fighting capabilities, figher, ranger or paladin, as a novice does not have the needed knowledge to run without raw mlee power, it will come later.
last thing i link a thread on the M/C npc cause imo she is a very interesting toon to play and also cause there are some screenshots that show how she is not effective if not using her buffs but becomes super effective while she does. this better than words show how knowledge of a class/combo can really change the way you play and how a toon is effective on the field.
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/47354/superaerie-power-tactics-for-the-c-m-spoilers
EDIT: the screenshots are not there, are here
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1010868/#Comment_1010868
check how thac0, damage/hit, armor class and hit points change, only few buffing spells, the right ones, and the change is drastic.
the same toon not buffed but at the same level and with the same equipment looks like that
EDIT2: as you are going to probably have some thief in your charname i link a guide that i find very useful. is old but still good even if something is slightly not accurate (ie is proven that hide in shadows and move silently work the same way, the hint of spending more points in MS is not working).
you can get some ideas about how to backstab efficiently and use traps in a fair way.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/faqs/27550
Warriors (Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, Barbarian):
-take a ton of punishment before dying and generally save or have enough HP to tank spells.
-hit hard and often physically. No other archetype outputs as much damage as consistently physically
-utilize widest range of items by default. The special abilities of some magical items are very useful
-simplest to outfit and use -- look for better AC and higher weapon enchantments then whack things
Priests (Clerics, Druids):
-have moderate HP and varying but moderate overall item restrictions
-weak in physical output (damage, APR, to hit), but still the best option of all the non-warriors
-great array of general protective and buffing magics; druids tend to have less but better offensive spells
-has a learning curve sorting out the magical side; but unlike arcane casters you don't have to bet your life on it nearly as much and less hands-on as mostly buffing/summoning. Priest spell casting is more supplemental than direct.
Rogues (Thieves)
-fair HP, moderate equipment restrictions before UAI but weak thaco and AC restrictions hurt survivability in direct confrontations, especially in BG2 (they could get away with being in archers in BG1)
-lack damage output in straight up fights until much later (HLAs). Instead you have to utilize preemptive planning to utilize traps or backstab to have decent offense.
-more of a support class that is weak alone, until much later and HLAs
-control intensive -- abusing Hide in Shadows and their supportive skills are key to utilizing a thief whether you are scouting for the party, laying traps, disarming traps/picking locks, trying to dispell illusions, or attempting backstabs before running away to hide and try again.
-extremely powerful HLAs make them a great end-game class, but early vulnerability/lack of power lend them heavily to multiclassing
Wizards (Mages, Sorcerers)
-weak HP, very restrictive equipment choices, and overall vulnerable when threatened (squishy)
-limited offensive potential early on, as lower level spells are weak until they scale, castings are limited, and stronger magic is further down the line. young mages tend to have lots of problems dealing with extended encounters or LOTS of enemies without parties or the support of things like wands. Mages are pretty garbage physical attackers without powerful magical items custom tailored for them.
-very intricate and involved magic system that is essential to using the character beyond a summon font or haste bot. Lots of intense deliberation with how to allocate your limited spell slots toward all the needs of your mage (self-protection, party buff/support, summons, disabling magic, enhancements like sequencers/time stop, and plain ol' offensive damage).
-less item dependent than any other class, but requires good foresight and familiarity of the magic system.
-by far the strongest end-game class, but probably also the hardest at all stage before this!
In terms of ease of use, Warrior-types are simplest and easiest to use especially at low levels, while strict casters are the most difficult but offer more eventual potential. Multiclasses tend to be more complex but often end being more forgiving than either parent class alone so long as you don't entirely discard one portion of the combination.
Multiclasses obviously fall in somewhere between their parent class combination, but are generally more useful starting out due to the overlap of class strengths/weaknesses and end up being pretty much the strongest overall endgame classes after Sorcerer, which is horribly broken OP, due to their eclecticism.
Bards and Monks are kinda odd flavor characters. Bards offer a bit more support in basically providing some mimicry of other classes with limited spellcasting (up to lvl 6 IIRC in the base game) and some pickpocket/lore combined with more open item restrictions on top of Rogue HP, and they can party buff with their song (not too hot until the HLA song). They become much better after HLAs as they gain many of the same as thieves and greatly improve non-skald bardsongs.
Monks are much weaker warriors that eventually gain some nifty outside abilities like passive immunities and the ability to roll save or die on enemies they hit. They are physically weaker and more vulnerable than other warrior classes due to their slow power curve, priest HP, and their item restrictions really hurting them -- unless you stop leveling another warrior class by dual classing it, proficiencies + more HP + free item restrictions granting access to better and better gear combined with access to the Warrior HLAs they share with monk put them way over the top. Monks do get granted a significant amount of natural Magic Resistance though, and it can be fun to augment this angle as best you can.
Note that in either case of Bard or Monk, a multiclass will do the same jobs better in almost all cases, and bard song alone is not really worth it unless you exploit the hell out it!
Fighter/thief doesn't offer much utility other than being able to hit things a bit harder than a normal thief for much of the game (until HLAs). The 2 things they can really do other than just beating stuff up is uses hidden status for scouting/backstabs, and lay traps (note than any arcane magic is way stronger than thief traps in the early going, but you cna spam up to 7 thief traps in one area pretty easily with setup time). It's still a good class, but less potential for subterfuge or tactic than any spell user and only really offering a higher HP/thaco/damage thief, that still is lesser than a true warrior class straight up due to thief armor restrictions and slower progression. The game itself also supplies plenty of adequate thief characters (you only really need half a class, really) so you're not optionless in that regard.
A stalker might fit your appeal as well, if you don't necessarily care about getting to involved in arcane magic. They are Rangers with weaker backstab (a straight class stalkeris still a better warrior than F/T before HLAS due to better HP/Thaco progression and better weapon type access for quite a while, but won't get the eventual x5 backstab, stopping at x4 instead) and some eventual select spells, with a focus on the type of careful play. You would still be sneaking a lot, picking your fights and trying for backstabs, but with eventually ability to haste, deflect minor spells and become immune to normal missiles among other low level druid spells in exchange for thieving skills. Stalkers make better frontliners but aren't as necessarily as much about the subterfuge angle while still having an element of it. Stalkers are also pretty easy to play this way, as their Sneak levels automatically with them and they can hold their own in combat.
F/M is a good combination even for those new to the magic system. Arcane magic can be used as a complement or directly (self-buffing vs. nuking or disabling, for example) and your fighter side will still be tough enough to fall back on in combat. Especially so if you use your magic to protect yourself and disrupt the enemy before wading in. Arcane magic offers almost endless options to explore tactically other than just direct confrontation, from using invisibility to scout/hide in combat, buffs to boost your defenses, summons to throw out as distractions and fodder, to disruption and disabling magic and traps to set for the enemy. Even without an intricate knowledge of the magic system, you can start simple with some protective magics (Mirror Image, Stoneskin, Ghost/Spirit Armor) and just play as fighter with better defenses until you get the hang of it.
M/T is a bit more involved as it lacks the beefiness and physical oomph of a fighter, but makes up for it in being one of the best tactical characters (C/M and high level wizards are better still), Careful thought will have to be applied to bring harm to the enemy, or simply support the party as best you can, but you have the tools to do it with. M/T starts out as a mostly support character but as they get higher leveled they move into heavy player territory, being able to lay traps, sling spells, scout around and single targets out with backstab/targeted magic, and eventually combine UAI and any equippable item with an arcane spellbook, one of the most potent combos of any class. Thief HLAs are the strongest ones in the games, and with eventually even access to lvl 9 magic, they can become stupid powerful (if a bit complex) thorugh combining their abilities, magical items, and casting together.
i disagree on F/T, but is only my personal opinion, based on my play style and taste.
when i go with F/T charname he is the king for most of SoA, clears whole areas with his back stabs and lures enemies in his traps. when those tactics, slower than an attack with all the party, but pure fun for me, are not possible he wears a better armor (as his fighter part allows it) loosing his thief abilities, but having the same AC of each other fighter (while the stalker can not do it), and does not loose much thac0 as he will be only 1 or 2 levels behind a single class fighter on average. he looses HP, and this is the real disadvantage, but this is true for every multi fighter.
i like very much playing thieves in an active and aggressive way, scouting, setting traps, backstabbing and making the best possible use of the terrain, using corners and low light points to lure the enemies, disappear and backstab again. i am not telling that is the most powerful class, i am telling that playing a thief this way is a great fun, if someone likes that play style. i like also the stalker, that looses traps and is less good at hiding than a dedicated thief, and the plain thief, that progresses fast in back stab multiplier but lacks thaco to have it working often against fighters, but the multi F/T imo is the best combo to do it.
the F/T also gets both the fighter and thief HLA that work well together.
about the game having " plenty of adequate thief characters" i can think only to joshimo, that has some problem i don't want to spoil, jan, that is multi as well, and hexxatt. the other 2 are not thieves, are powerful mages that can find traps, disable them and can open locks cause they have few levels of thief.
playing imoen and nalia you don't get the feeling that playing a thief gives, give only some utility, their strength is being mages, really powerful arch mages in end game.
the stalker is fun to play, and there is a stalker npc, and has a better stronghold than the thief, is a good alternative. some runs i have both a F/T and the stalker npc and then to backstab is double fun.
After more consideration, I've decided on a Fighter Mage combination. I need to consider carefully as I'm starting in the first game, Baldur's Gate, and will continue afterwards to game two, Shadows.
I still have yet to decide on dual or multi, but since a quick search shows this is one of the most highly debated topics on the forum, I'm sure people are sick of discussing it.
Therefore I won't try anyone's patience and ask for opinion, as these previous discussions should serve me well.
Edit:
A few pages reference this document (although I had to find the proper URL with google), which I find helpful.
pihwiki.bgforge.net/Baldur%27s_Gate:_Dual_and_Multiclassing
Can't seem to get the link to properly work, sorry about that.
cause in bg1 you start at lev 1 and you fight against low level enemies while in bg2 you reach the higher levels and fight against high level enemies.
every level you can dual a fighter into something other in bg1 will give a sub par fighter in bg2 (i don't own SOD so i don't know how it changes the things, but i am afraid that it makes things only worst).
to have a character that is functional as fighter in bg2 you have to spend all bg1 as pure fighter. the shared opinion on dualing is that lev 9 is the best spot for bg2, some like to do it at 13 for the added +0.5 apr and doing it at 7 is probably only viable for fighters dualed into cleric cause the cleric self buffs offset the low dualing level, giving hp boost, thac0 of a fighter of the same level of the cleric and STR enhancement, up to 25.
the cap level for bg1 is 161k xp and a fighter needs 250k xp to reach lev 9 so to don't have a sub par fighter you have to dual in SOD.
the level cap in SOD is 500k and to reach mage 10 that re activates the first class you need other 250k xp so assuming that you don't use tricks to boost the xp like dropping out the party members and going to a spell memorizing and erasing feast (please don't do it on your first run, you will have many others to use such kind of exploits) you will have your dual class complete only near the end of SOD, playing it as a mage with 250k xp less than he is supposed to have.
then in bg2, lev cap 8M, you will be a king, but why going trough all this on the first run?
play multi and you will feel trough all the saga the flavor of merging fighter and mage.
multi is powerful, is fun to play, gets both mage and fighter hla as he reaches 3M xp and, most important, don't force you to play in a not natural way, using tricks to farm more xp than you are supposed to get or delaying quest rewards to minimize the down time.
the first run should be all toward learning the basics, exploring areas and living new adventures, power gaming and optimizing can come later.
because there is a real chance that there will be other runs after the first one, some of us are playing this game since it come out at the beginning of the millennium.
here there is the link working
i disagree on a lot of things the guide tells, some of them really important. an example: for the FMC does not list into the advantages, compared to the M/C , of having up to 1.5 more apr and possibility to put 3 pips in DW. the whole sense of going triple class with M/C is to have better fighting capabilities and ignoring that the FMC has almost the double of attacks compared to M/C is missing the main advantage of the class, the reason to use it instead of the 2 classes multi M/C.
in the weaknesses of the same combo the fact that the FMC looses the lev9 arcane spells, so can not put in a chain contingency divine spells is completely ignored. and also improved alacrity is lost so the FMC can not spam, with the robe that cuts casting time, a lot of divine and arcane spells in the 2 rounds that the alacrity lasts.
is only one of the possible examples, but the F/M part is decent and that is your choice, so enjoy your FM and have fun.